A Chance To Be Loved
by TheAnnoyingVoice
Summary: Xigbar discovers the true meaning of love at first sight the night he sees Roxas and his brother Ven dancing in the streets of Twilight Town. But with Roxas's wary and distrustful attitude Xigbar finds it hard to even talk to him.


**Disclaimer:**I do not own Kingdom Hearts and I am not profiting from this story.

**Author's Note:** This was meant to be out on February 13th, since that would have been the unofficial pairing day of XigbarxRoxas, or Xigroku, as **SymphonicMetalChocobos **and I are calling it now. But it wasn't finished in time. I did finish it on Valentine's Day though, however it wasn't edited. My beta was busy and since she doesn't really feel anything for this pairing I don't like making her look over something she doesn't enjoy. So, I decided to stick this up due to a very interesting conversation refueling my love for the pairing. I've looked this over myself many, many times, but if you spot ANYTHING please let me know. ^^

**Edit:** This story has officially been checked over by **Kunoichi21**. Many, many thanks to her for pointing out all of my mistakes. They were so obvious I could slap myself. But it's all fixed up now. :)

**Warnings:** Suggestive themes, mild language, angst, implied rape

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><p>It was late, but the streets of Twilight Town were busy despite this fact. A crowd of people pushed and shoved to get through to see the event that was taking place in the Tram Common. A fire burned brightly, casting eerie shadows against the walls of buildings, and illuminating the crowd that already gathered. Two identical boys with golden hair that spiked out in every direction danced fluidly to the upbeat drumming and flute playing that were provided for them by their traveling companions. One of the boys was wearing a short blue shirt that exposed his stomach, and a long flowing skirt with a slit in the side that gave the audience a nice view of a pale, smooth and flawless leg. The whole attire complimented his skinny form nicely. The other boy was dressed in the same thing but his were green.<p>

The two boys were known as the Strife twins. They were orphaned at a young age, taken in by a traveling group of entertainers, and trained to their full potential. They moved from town to town performing various acts to appease the townspeople, humbly accepting what little munny they were given. But the twins were the star attractions, their dancing act drawing people of all ages to come out and watch. They danced in sync, smiling gorgeous smiles at their audience.

Out in the crowd a man named Xigbar stood, towering over a young couple in front of him. Many of the townspeople made the mistake that he didn't see very well due to the fact that he wore an eye-patch over his right eye, but that was completely not true. He had lost it a few years before, but it only heightened his other senses and made the vision in his other eye stronger. He could see the two boys dancing perfectly even with one eye. To him the image was more defined than anything he ever saw when he still had full sight.

Xigbar could see the sweat glistening on their skin in the firelight and both boys had a small jewel belly button rings that matched their clothes and glinted and sparkled with every movement they made. He watched as someone in the front stepped forward and dropped a few coins in a tin can. The twins gave identical smiles and a nod of thanks as they effortlessly shifted the lower half of their torsos back and forth in perfect time with the music and lifted their arms, holding them out straight then twisting and turning them in slow, wavy and sensual movements.

He felt himself moving, pushing past the couple in front of him and a few other people as he made his way to the front of the spectators. He unclipped his money pouch from his belt and poured four coins into an open hand before moving forward once more, dropping them one at a time into the can. When he looked up his eye met two beautiful sapphire ones. The boy gave him a little smirk and a nod, silently thanking him for his donation as he brought his arms out in front of him, palms facing downwards, then he twisted his arms slowly in that same wavy motion, crossing them in front of his face.

Xigbar could have sworn he winked at him, but he couldn't be sure. He was caught in a daze, trying to memorize everything about the boy. Regardless of how identical the twins were, he found himself really liking this particular boy, the one dressed in blue. He seemed to have a sort of attitude that was much different from his brother's. There was a hardened and distrustful look in his eyes, like they were hinting at a completely different story than the slow, sensual story his body told in the dance. His brother, on the other hand, had a very sunny disposition, blue eyes sparkling with a clear happiness that Xigbar just couldn't see appearing in little boy blue's eyes anytime soon.

And then something inside him just seemed to snap. As he watched the boy dressed in blue dance, he found himself wanting to be the one to make him smile properly. Not those phony, seductive smiles he only used as part of his dance routine, but a real happy smile like his brother always seemed to wear.

Xigbar waited impatiently for the act to end and when it finally did he pushed forward once more, not thinking as he reached out and grabbed the blue boy's wrist. He instantly spun around to face Xigbar, fist raised, sapphire eyes flashing with hatred and fear. But then he relaxed a little and released a breath, wrenching his wrist away from Xigbar. He looked a little calmer, but the glint of distrust in his eyes remained.

"Can I help you, sir?" His voice was low and soft, but with a rough, masculine edge to it.

Xigbar wasn't exactly sure what he had planned to say, but he came this far, he might as well continue with it. He cleared his throat and gave the boy a smile. "You're an incredible dancer, kiddo. I've never seen anyone pull off moves like those as well as you do."

The boy frowned, taking a step back and crossing his arms. Xigbar just noticed he was wearing a lot of bracelets that jangled noisily when he moved. "Thanks…but my brother dances the exact same way. Don't you have anything to say about his moves as well?"

"Oh…well…yeah, but…" Xigbar chuckled, rubbing a finger thoughtfully against a jagged scar that started just a few inches below his left eye and ran all the way down to his jaw. He saw the boy eyeing it curiously and smirked, pleased to have a potential subject change. "Ya wanna know how I got it?"

The boy blinked a few times, having spaced out on him. "Huh? What?"

"My scar, dude, you were looking at it."

Realization dawned in the blue boy's eyes. "Oh! Uh…nah, I'll pass. Listen, it was nice talking to you, but—"

"Hey, don't leave." Xigbar interrupted. He wasn't stupid; he could tell the boy was trying to make a polite getaway. The distrust was back. He regarded Xigbar suspiciously.

"Why not?"

"Just not yet, dude. I'm not finished talking with you."

"…Fine."

Xigbar could tell he looked uncomfortable. He shifted his weight a lot, and looked over his shoulder as though making sure there were still a lot of people around. "You can't be anymore than what…sixteen?"

The question caught the boy completely off guard, but then his eyes narrowed to a glare. He scoffed angrily. "Are you kidding me? I'm eighteen. My family hates the idea of anyone performing such a dance at any age lower than that."

Xigbar held up his hands in surrender. Kitty had claws. "Sorry, kiddo. I didn't mean any offense."

"I'm very offended. I hate being called kiddo." He growled, taking another step back. "How about we just end this conversation now?"

Before Xigbar had a chance to respond the boy dressed in green ran up to them, glancing briefly at Xigbar then turned his full attention to his brother. He kept his voice low as he spoke to him, but Xigbar's hearing was phenomenal, plus they were only a couple of feet away from him.

"Roxas, Eraqus wants us to go pick up a few things for him before we leave."

"Ok, you go ahead. I'm going to gather the munny and I'll meet up with you in a minute." The blue boy Xigbar now knew as Roxas responded.

Xigbar caught a few key words in the hurried conversation that made him panic a little.

"Wait a sec, you're leavin'?" He couldn't help himself. He wanted so badly to get to know the kid and discover the mystery behind his hardened demeanor. He wanted to hold him and tell him that everything was ok and he would never let anything bad happen to him again.

Roxas looked back at him, one eyebrow raised. His brother turned back around and watched Xigbar curiously. "Yeah. I am. Not a moment too soon either."

"C'mon, don't be that way. Can't you stay a little longer? Long enough to get a drink or something? My treat."

"I don't drink, sorry." He didn't sound the least bit sorry.

Xigbar nodded and tugged at his pony tail, a subconscious thing he did when he was desperate. He looked at the other boy, the spitting image of Roxas, and realized he was staring at him. Their eyes met and a smile tugged at his lips.

"I think you should go with him, Rox." Green boy said, turning to his brother. Roxas looked horrified at the very suggestion.

"Are you out of your mind, Ven?" Roxas hissed, eyeing Xigbar warily. "I'm not going anywhere with him. In fact, you and I are leaving right now. Like we're supposed to."

Ven shook his head. "No. You're going with him." He put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, Rox. He's ok. I can tell. Besides…we've only got one life. You should—"

"—Live it." Roxas finished with a sigh, pushing his brother's hand away. "I know." He ran a hand through his hair and reluctantly looked at Xigbar. "Alright, you have one hour."

"Sweet," Xigbar grinned once he comprehended what he just heard. He was going to get his chance to get to know the kid just like he wanted. Things couldn't possibly get any better than that.

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><p>The hour went by much too quickly for Xigbar, unfortunately, but he wasn't about to complain seeing how things worked out. He ended up taking the blond gypsy boy to the nearest tavern, but didn't try to force him to drink. Roxas fidgeted in seat, looking around a little nervously at a few people who watched them come in as Xigbar talked on and on about how he lost his eye. He realized the kid wasn't listening so he finished his food and one mug of beer before draping an arm around the boy's shoulders, leading him out of the tavern in an almost protective manner. Roxas flinched at first, and then relaxed when Xigbar took his arm away and kept his gaze glued to the ground.<p>

Xigbar knew he had to do something to break the ice or else he'd never have a chance to make the boy smile as he resolved earlier.

"Hey uh, listen kiddo," He started, clearing his throat, effectively getting Roxas's attention. He looked up at Xigbar, his stunning sapphire eyes filled with a hint of malice, but when Xigbar smiled at him, the malice disappeared replaced with curiosity. "I bet you're wonderin' why I'm even talking to you, huh?"

"It crossed my mind, yeah…" Roxas replied carefully, almost warily. He gently pushed aside a pebble with his toe, looking like he wanted to get out of there.

He chuckled and reached down to give those dangerous looking spikes a little ruffle. It amazed him how soft they were and he wondered briefly if that was how the kid's real personality was. It was like he had a wall up of some sort, blocking Xigbar from seeing the real Roxas.

"Hey cut it out," Roxas growled, lifting his hands to fix his hair, regardless of it looking naturally messy in the first place.

"You intrigue me, little dude. Since the first moment I saw you dancing, I knew your heart wasn't in it, ya know?"

"Oh…"

"You looked like you were jus' doin' your job."

"That's because I was." Roxas walked over to a fountain, watching the mini man-made water-fall pour into the basin below, staring at his reflection.

Xigbar stayed where he was and just watched him. He looked tormented, like a scared little boy that witnessed something horrible. It only made Xigbar even more determined to figure out what was up with kid. As Roxas stood there, gazing deeply into the rippling water, the light from the moon high up in the sky shone down on him, giving him an almost angelic look.

That's when Xigbar realized something. He didn't just want to find out what was up with the kid and make him smile…he was also beginning to fall for him. He was infatuated with him and couldn't bear the thought of giving up on those feelings so easily. He needed to tell him, even if it meant risking having his heart ripped out and stepped on.

"There actually is another reason I wanted to talk to ya, kiddo." He made his way over to the fountain, stopping just a few feet away from the blond. He watched as he tensed and slowly turned around, looking up at him suspiciously. "I like ya. You're beautiful, no other way to explain it, especially with the moonlight shinin' on ya like that."

Roxas's eyes widened slightly and a light pink dusted across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose which showed up nicely in the moonlight. He worked his mouth, but nothing came out. A thousand different emotions flickered in his eyes, and Xigbar could see the wall crumbling, and eagerly awaited the smile he'd been hoping for when he first laid eyes on him. However, those blue eyes suddenly hardened and the distrust that was ever present in them returned, shining with such ferocity that Xigbar had to do a double take.

"I see you what you're doing." Roxas spat, taking a step back even though Xigbar hadn't made any moves toward him. "You don't actually care about me. No one does. No one ever did, but Ven and our parents. But our parents are dead. And you know why? Because there was a raid on our village when we really young. Our home was burned…parents murdered…my brother and me…" He shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself, eyes closed and teeth clenched together tightly.

Xigbar wasn't an idiot. He easily pieced the rest of the story together. A burning rage built up inside him, along with a strong desire to do everything in his power to protect the boy from anything like that happening to him ever again. How could anyone hurt a child? It disgusted him.

He exhaled deeply wanting to go over and wrap his arms around the shaking blond, but decided to keep his distance for now. "I'm really sorry, kiddo…no one should ever go through somethin' like that. But I can promise you one thing, I'm not plannin' to hurt ya."

Roxas scoffed. His was voice bitter. "I bet. I know what you're planning. I saw you looking at me earlier when I was dancing. You really are no different than anyone else. You're a creep, a creep that only wants me for one thing."

Xigbar frowned, still remaining where he was. He didn't want to make any wrong moves and scare Roxas off completely, not until he heard the full truth. "That's where you're wrong, dude. My intentions tonight were to get to know you and make you smile."

"But I was smiling…"

"No ya weren't. That was just part of the dance. It wasn't real."

Roxas narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing him. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Do you mean that? What you said?" He asked finally.

Xigbar nodded. "I meant every word, kiddo." The corner of Roxas's lip twitched a little and he blushed again. "So…now that I know why you're so suspicious of anyone who even looks at you…I'd like a chance to make things better for ya."

Roxas studied him quietly, still a little weary, but he nodded after a moment and offered him a small, unsure smile. "Alright…I guess…I can give you a chance."

Xigbar chuckled. "That's all I'm askin' for."

He held out his hand and Roxas stared at it, hesitating for just a second, but slowly walked over and took it.

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><p>Roxas folded his blue shirt and skirt and placed them down on the straw in a neat little pile, adding his many bracelets and his belly jewel to the pile as well. He gave them a tender smile, briefly picturing himself dancing next to his brother, feeling the smooth cobble stones of the street beneath his bare feet, and the heat from the fire at his back, the beat of the drum and the trill of the flute filling the night air. A hand on his shoulder, gripping gently-<p>

He swallowed a scream, breaking free from his small fantasy and spun around to look at his grinning brother. He relaxed immediately and returned the grin. "Hey."

"Sorry if I scared you." Ven looked down at the clothes and jewelry. He smiled and kneeled down beside Roxas. "You're not packing these?" He asked, lifting one of the bracelets, running a finger along the outside of it.

Roxas shook his head. "No. I decided…I'm going to start fresh. You know, forget about this life. Begin a new one."

Ven frowned. "Oh…"

"It's not like I'm forgetting you, though!" Roxas assured him, "I just…everything else…makes me remember stuff I'd rather not think about." He paused and took a deep breath, looking over at his brother. "Which is why I'm leaving this stuff behind, for you to have…are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

Ven shook his head slowly. "We've already been over this, Rox. I belong here…with our family…and Terra. And you…belong with him."

Roxas smiled at the mention of _him_. "Yeah…I guess. Well, I'm really going to miss you, Venny."

"I'm going to miss you too, Roxy. But this isn't the end. Besides, we're bound to see each other again sometime, right? It's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time."

"Yeah."

They exchanged smiles and Roxas reached out and pulled his brother into a hug. Usually it was Ven initiating actions like that, but lately Roxas had been feeling a little more upbeat. He pulled away after a moment and ruffled his twin's hair.

"Take care of yourself." He whispered, wishing Ven would be coming too, but he accepted his brother's decision to stay.

"You too, take care of each other." Ven whispered back.

Roxas grinned, pulling away. "We will." He got to his feet and grabbed his bag. "Guess this is it then."

"Good luck."

Roxas nodded and took a deep breath as he pushed aside the sheet covering the wagon, hopping down onto the ground.

"There you are, tiger, I wondered when you were gonna show yourself again. You're worse than a girl, seriously."

"Quiet, skunk-head. I was saying goodbye to my brother." Roxas shoved the black and white haired man playfully.

Xigbar chuckled, and wrapped an arm around Roxas's neck, putting him into a headlock and using his free hand to give him a noogie. Roxas yelped and dropped his bag, trying to escape the hold, but it was no use.

"Alright, alright!" He laughed, leaning his head back against Xigbar's shoulder. "I give!"

"That's what I like to hear." Xigbar smirked, releasing the blond, only to drape his arm around his shoulders. "Want me to carry that for ya?" He asked, pointing to the bag on the ground.

Roxas shook his head, giving him a small punch on the arm. "No. I'm not some delicate girl, Xigbar. I can handle a measly travelling bag."

"No need to bite my head off, tiger. I was only bein' polite." Xigbar chuckled, adjusting his eye-patch a little as Roxas bent down to retrieve his bag. "You're like one of 'em nasty cats that wander around here."

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "I'm not that bad."

"Nah, I guess not. But ya got spirit, kiddo. You don't let anyone push you around."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all," Xigbar grinned, ruffling his hair, earning a small glare in return. "But it's one of my favorite things about ya. Especially when you never let people get to close to ya…but ya gave me a chance."

Roxas looked up at him and smiled, staring deeply into his one golden eye. "I'm really glad I did." He said softly, leaning up on his toes, kissing Xigbar chastely. Xigbar placed a hand on the back of Roxas's head, pressing their lips closer together, returning the kiss until the both of them had to pull away for air.

They stared into each other's eyes for a minute and Roxas reached up, gently touching Xigbar's face, running his fingers along the scar. "You never did tell me how you got this…"

"You didn't want to know, kiddo."

"I do now."

Xigbar blinked in surprise then grinned slowly and nodded. "Well if you're sure, dude. Alright, so I was visitin' a friend in Hollow Bastion and we went to the tavern there and got so pissed that my buddy and me started arguin'. I don't even remember what it was about. Next thing I knew…"

They started walking again, and Roxas smiled, listening quietly, only half listening to the story as he his mind began to wander. He couldn't believe how much had changed in just a short while. Xigbar was now his boyfriend and he gave up his life as a gypsy to be with him. They were planning to travel the worlds together and get to know each other better. He still had his moments where he was suspicious of people and their intentions, but with Xigbar's help he was slowly overcoming that.

Because of Xigbar he had a chance to start over again, a chance for a new life, a chance to finally be free and be his self.

Most importantly, though, he had a chance to be loved.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry for all the random page breaks. My attempts at showing a time transition did not work because for some reason this editor didn't want to cooporate with me. Hope you enjoyed this oneshot, in all its lateness. Let me know what you thought if you wish. I'm very open-minded about people's opinions. It takes a lot to bring me down, honestly. :D


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